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Old Testament References

Genesis 19:26

26 "But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt."

Deuteronomy 29:23

23 "And that the whole land thereof is brimstone, and salt, and burning, that it is not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth therein, like the overthrow of Sodom, and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim, which the Lord overthrew in his anger, and in his wrath ..."

Numbers 18:19

(Incomplete)

Judges 9:45

45 "And Abimelech fought against the city all that day; and he took the city, and slew the people that was therein, and beat down the city, and sowed it with salt."

Job 6:6

6 "Can that which is unsavoury be eaten without salt?"

Leviticus 2:12-13

(Incomplete)

Joel 2:20

20 "But I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things."[4]

Ezekiel 16:4

4 "As for your nativity, on the day you were born your navel cord was not cut, nor were you washed in water to cleanse you; you were not rubbed with salt nor wrapped in swaddling cloths. (NKJV)

Ezekiel 47:11

11 "But the miry places thereof and the marishes thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt."

In the Old Testament, Mosaic law called for salt to be added to all burnt animal sacrifices (Lev. 2:13). The Book of Ezra (550 BC to 450 BC) associated accepting salt from a person with being in that person's service. In Ezra 4:14, the servants of Artaxerxes I of Persia explain their loyalty to the King. When translated, it is either stated literally as "because we have eaten the salt of the palace" or more figuratively as "because we have maintenance from the king."[5]

49 For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt.
50 Salt [is] good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.

34 Salt [is] good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned?
35 It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; [but] men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Colossians 4:6

6 Let your speech [be] alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

James 3:11-12

3:11 Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet [water] and bitter?
3:12 Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so [can] no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.

In the New Testament, Matthew 5:13 Jesus said, "You are the salt of the earth." He added that if the salt loses its flavor, it is good for nothing but to be trampled. Jesus said this in order to show his disciples how valuable they were and this saying is commonly used today to describe someone who is of particular value to society. In addition, the preservative quality of salt is in view here to show how the disciples were called to preserve the society and the world around them from moral decay. On another occasion according to the Gospels, Jesus commanded his followers to "have salt within them"[6]

Characeteristics of Salt

Knowledge of the characteristics of salt is one way to assist in the allegorical interpretations of the Scripture passages.

Salt is a needed mineral:

Salt is an essential element in the diet of not only humans but of animals and even of many plants. It is one of the most effective and most widely used of all food preservatives and has even been used to preserve Egyptian mummies. It's industrial, medical and other uses are almost without number.

Salt is a taste enhancer:

Salt is used as a symbol of wisdom and knowledge in many cultures:

In many cultures, it is traditional etiquette to offer bread and salt to visitors.

Salt was used as a currency in many cultures: Ezra 4:14

Salt has served as currency at various times and places in history and has been the cause of warfare between places. There are records outside of the Scriptures that place an importance on salt in commerce during the Medieval ages and earlier still in Nepal and the Sahara salt was used in trade. These records provide a glimpse into how salt would have been used even earlier still. During the 15th-century, in Russia, the monks from the Solovetsky Monastery would make salt that became the base for the monastery's economic power. The salt that they produced was black and was created by using ground grain and seaweed that when dried on stoves would turn black.

Salt was used in sacrifices: Leviticus 2:13

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Interpretations by Church fathers

What do the Church fathers have to say about the "salt" term in Scripture? List of articles discussing this:

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Notes

↑Salt is the every day term for the chemical compound Sodium Chloride (NaCl); it occurs naturally in many parts of the world and is particularly prevalent in the area of the Dead Sea. Halite is the mineral form of sodium chloride.

↑ An interesting quality of salt is that when it is used it looses itself. Example, (1) when used in cooking the salt can not be seen; it makes its contribution and is "gone". (2) In various chemical processes, salt "dissipates" after it has fulfilled its purpose.

↑ The east sea, or the Sea of the Plain, is more commonly known as the Dead Sea! This sea is infact a large inland lake whose waters are extremely saline. In fact, it is five times more salty than the oceans, and marine life cannot live in it's waters. It is at the lowest point on earth and can be described as desolate.